Conventionally, there is a wireless communication system in which a user of a slave apparatus, which has received beacons transmitted from master apparatuses, selects a master apparatus, the slave apparatus transmits a participation request to the selected master apparatus, and the slave apparatus is allowed to participate in a group when the master apparatus permits the participation request.
In the conventional technique described above, however, the slave apparatus merely transmits the participation request to the master apparatus selected by the user. Therefore, there is room for improvement in controlling participation of apparatuses by inhibiting useless communication.
Therefore, an object of the exemplary embodiments is to provide a wireless communication system capable of controlling participation of apparatuses while inhibiting useless communication.
In the exemplary embodiments, in order to attain the object described above, the following configuration examples are exemplified.
An exemplary embodiment is a wireless communication system including a plurality of information processing apparatuses each having a wireless communication function. The wireless communication system includes a first information processing apparatus and a second information processing apparatus. The first information processing apparatus executes: a connection information transmitting process of transmitting information for establishing connection with the second information processing apparatus; a connection process of establishing connection between the first information processing apparatus and the second information processing apparatus; and a disconnection request transmitting process of transmitting a disconnection request to the second information processing apparatus being connected thereto. The second information processing apparatus executes: a connection information receiving process of receiving, from the first information processing apparatus, the information for establishing connection; a connection process of establishing connection between the first information processing apparatus and the second information processing apparatus; a disconnection request receiving process of receiving the disconnection request from the first information processing apparatus; and a determination process of determining whether or not to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus, based on the disconnection request and the information for establishing connection, after having been disconnected from the first information processing apparatus.
According to the above configuration, the second information processing apparatus can determine whether or not to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus, based on the disconnection request, and the information for establishing connection which is received from the first information processing apparatus. Thus, useless connection requests from the second information processing apparatus to the first information processing apparatus can be inhibited.
In another configuration, the first information processing apparatus, in the connection information transmitting process, may broadcast the information for establishing connection.
According to the above configuration, the first information processing apparatus can transmit the information for establishing connection to a large number of apparatuses at the same time.
In another configuration, the second information processing apparatus may execute a display control process of causing a display to display connection destination candidates, based on the information for establishing connection which is received in the connection information receiving process. Upon determining not to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus in the determination process, the second information processing apparatus, in the display control process, may cause the display to display information of information processing apparatuses each having transmitted the information for establishing connection, excluding the first information processing apparatus.
According to the above configuration, upon determining not to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus, the second information processing apparatus can display, as connection destination candidates, apparatuses other than the first information processing apparatus.
In another configuration, upon determining not to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus in the determination process, the second information processing apparatus may not automatically transmit a reconnection request to the first information processing apparatus.
According to the above configuration, transmission of reconnection requests to the first information processing apparatus can be inhibited.
In another configuration, the first information processing apparatus, in the connection information transmitting process, may repeatedly transmit the information for establishing the connection. The first information processing apparatus, in the disconnection request transmitting process, may transmit the disconnection request when a disconnection condition is satisfied.
According to the above configuration, the first information processing apparatus can transmit a disconnection request only when the disconnection condition is satisfied, while repeatedly transmitting the information for establishing the connection.
In another configuration, in the connection information transmitting process, the first information processing apparatus may transmit first information as the information for establishing connection before the disconnection request is transmitted, and may transmit second information different from the first information, as the information for establishing connection, after the disconnection request is transmitted.
According to the above configuration, the first information processing apparatus can transmit the first information before the disconnection request is transmitted, and can transmit the second information after the disconnection request is transmitted. For example, before the disconnection request is transmitted, the first information processing apparatus can transmit the first information indicating that connection thereto is permitted, and after the disconnection request is transmitted, the first information processing apparatus can transmit the second information indicating that connection thereto is conditionally permitted.
In another configuration, the first information processing apparatus, in the disconnection request transmitting process, may transmit the disconnection request in accordance with an operation performed by a user of the first information processing apparatus.
According to the above configuration, the first information processing apparatus can transmit the disconnection request to the second information processing apparatus in accordance with an operation performed by the user.
In another configuration, the first information processing apparatus, in the connection information transmitting process, may transmit, as the information for establishing connection, any one of information indicating permission of connection, information indicating rejection of connection, and information indicating conditional permission/rejection of connection.
According to the above configuration, the first information processing apparatus can transmit the information indicating that connection thereto is conditionally permitted or rejected, as well as the information indicating that connection thereto is permitted and the information indicating that connection thereto is rejected.
In another configuration, the second information processing apparatus, in the determination process, may determine whether or not to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus, based on the disconnection request and the information indicating conditional permission/rejection of connection.
According to the above configuration, for example, upon receiving the information indicating the conditional permission/rejection of connection, the second information processing apparatus can determine whether or not to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus, based on the disconnection request as well as the information indicating the conditional permission/rejection of connection.
In another configuration, the second information processing apparatus may transmit a connection request to the first information processing apparatus, upon determining to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus in the determination process. The first information processing apparatus stores therein a list of information processing apparatuses to which the first information processing apparatus has transmitted the disconnection request. The first information processing apparatus may determine whether or not the second information processing apparatus having transmitted the connection request is included in the list, and may reject reconnection of the second information processing apparatus when the second information processing apparatus is included in the list.
According to the above configuration, the first information processing apparatus stores therein the list (e.g., black list) of apparatuses to which the first information processing apparatus has transmitted disconnection requests. Upon receiving a connection request from the second information processing apparatus, the first information processing apparatus can determine, based on the list, whether or not to permit reconnection of the second information processing apparatus. Thus, even when the first information processing apparatus receives a connection request from the second information processing apparatus to which the first information processing apparatus has transmitted a disconnection request, the first information processing apparatus can surely reject reconnection of the apparatus.
In another configuration, the first information processing apparatus and the second information processing apparatus each may store therein connection identification information for identifying the connection established in the connection process. The second information processing apparatus, in the determination process, may determine whether or not to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus, based on the connection identification information as well as the disconnection request and the information for establishing connection.
According to the above configuration, the second information processing apparatus can determine whether or not to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus, also based on the connection identification information. For example, when connection between the first information processing apparatus and the second information processing apparatus is established, connection identification information for identifying this connection is generated, and the connection identification information is stored even after disconnection therebetween. For example, based on the stored connection identification information, the second information processing apparatus can determine whether or not the first information processing apparatus that has transmitted the information for establishing connection is an apparatus to which the second information processing apparatus has been connected just before the disconnection, and can determine whether or not to reconnect to the first information processing apparatus, based on the result of the determination.
Another exemplary embodiment may be a communication method performed in the wireless communication system. Still another exemplary embodiment may be a first information processing apparatus or a second information processing apparatus included in the wireless communication system. Yet another exemplary embodiment may be a storage medium having stored therein an information processing program executed in the first information processing apparatus or the second information processing apparatus.
A further exemplary embodiment is a wireless communication system including a plurality of information processing apparatuses each having a wireless communication function. The wireless communication system includes a first information processing apparatus and a second information processing apparatus. The first information processing apparatus executes: a transmission process of transmitting any one of: connection permission information indicating that connection of another information processing apparatus is permitted; connection rejection information indicating that connection of another information processing apparatus is rejected, and conditional connection permission/rejection information indicating that connection of another information processing apparatus is conditionally permitted or rejected. The second information processing apparatus executes: a reception process of receiving the information transmitted by the first information processing apparatus in the transmission process; a connection determining process of determining whether or not to connect to the first information processing apparatus, based on the information received in the reception process; and a condition determining process of determining whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied. In the connection determining process, the second information processing apparatus determines to connect to the first information processing apparatus upon receiving the connection permission information, determines not to connect to the first information processing apparatus upon receiving the connection rejection information, and determines to connect to the first information processing apparatus upon receiving the conditional connection permission/rejection information, when the predetermined condition is satisfied.
According to the exemplary embodiments, useless connection requests from the second information processing apparatus to the first information processing apparatus can be inhibited.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the exemplary embodiments will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.